2014 Cadillac ELR drive review

November 26, 2013

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2014 Cadillac ELR

What is it?

Back in 2009, Cadillac rolled out its Converj concept, a compact personal-luxury coupe powered by both gasoline and electricity. During the hubbub surrounding the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the GM unit announced that they'd be producing the ELR, a road-ready version faithful to the concept.

Heads swiveled earlier this year when Cadillac released pricing for the new extended-range electric vehicle. A destination-included price of nearly 77 large seemed to be a stiff premium for what amounted to a slightly hotter Chevy Volt with less in the way of practicality. They'd positioned the ELR as an ad-hoc halo, displacing the outgoing CTS-V -- featuring a superbly charged LSA V8 -- with its polar opposite.

Via a software reflash, the ELR trades a bit of range for a smidge of power. GM claims a 38-mile all-electric range for the Volt. It's down to 37 with the Cad. On the upside, The Cadillac makes 181 hp (157 with the 1.4-liter gas engine shut off) and 295 lb-ft of torque compared to the Volt's 149 hp and 273 lb-ft. Expect a full charge via 240V to take between four-and-a-half and five hours, and a full charge plus a full tank to net you 345 miles of range.

Visually, the ELR cribs from the outgoing CTS coupe, though the resolution at the rump seems better; the bum's not so excessively brash. In the front, however, the stubby schnoz thumbs itself at Cadillac's traditional long-hood-as-projection-of-power. Cadillac's very recently played with this motif on the Elmiraj concepts to great effect. The ELR's snubnose? Call it elegant dumpiness. We do, however, think the production front-end treatment actually bests the concept car. The intricate headlamp clusters invite extended examination. A bit more convention does wonders to pull it all together.

The interior fares better. Genuine wood and real carbon fiber chase each other around the place in a manner we find successful and aesthetically pleasing, though we'd love to see an interior swathed entirely in the Kona brown leather available on the chairs. Rear seats are for those of diminutive stature only. And yes, you'll be coping with Cadillac's CUE infotainment system.

What's it like to drive?

The drive, disappointingly, is about what you'd expect from a Cadillac Volt. Ride quality is lovely. Steering is direct, but we found the car slightly hard to place on the road in the hills above Malibu. As evidenced by last year's superb ATS and this year's hyper-competitive CTS, Cadillac knows how to build a sedan.

What makes for a good sedan often makes for a fine personal-luxury coupe when a couple of doors are removed. Cadillac's Eldorado is perhaps the most revered of the class; in the 1960s, it was the segment's gold standard. And like the ELR, it was front-drive. To have that sort of kingliness reduced to what amounts to a twice-baked techno-Cruze is a bit of an insult, especially considering that Chevrolet built 400 lb-ft of torque into the Spark EV. Why doesn't a Cadillac E-REV have at least that? They've got their reasons, but they ultimately don't matter when a lesser GM division is offering an electric hatch with superior numbers.

On the plus-points tip, when the gasoline engine kicks in, you're not subjected to as much mournful lowing in the auditory department. The engine's mechanical moo serves as a deterrent in the Volt; internal combustion shatters the serenity of the motoring experience, pushing one to keep the car running solely on electrons as long as possible. In the Cad, you hear it in there somewhere, but you've often gotta listen for it -- which could lead to more consumption of fossil fuels.

To combat it, Cadillac's found a new use for shift paddles. They call it "Regen on Demand," and it works well. Simply hold down the wheel-mounted paddle to engage what's essentially a super-low mode for extra charge. Given enough time, it'll actually slow the car down to precisely 1 mph. It engages smoothly and works fantastically for trail-braking in corners. We still prefer Volkswagen's paddle implementation in the e-Golf, which steps up the level of regen as if you're grabbing progressively lower gears via a traditional gearbox.

Do I want it?

If you're a Cadillac fan, the company builds two superior vehicles that cost less. If you're a lux greenie, the Tesla Model S offers more performance and more au courant social status. Despite some lovely touches, the ELR feels like a result of thinking left over from the Bad Old Days at GM -- the sort of thought process that brought us the Cimarron, Catera and XLR.

There are two kinds of Cadillac cars these days. Those that make good on the company's advertising promise to build cars strong enough to take on the world -- exemplified by the ATS and CTS. And then there are the punts. The punts aren't terrible, odious machines. They're just not good enough. Shrugging one's shoulders and saying, “Well, at least it's better than a Lincoln” is like saying, “Well, at least that lingering cold wasn't whooping cough.” The XTS was the first punt. The ELR is the second. To justify the asking price, the ELR had to be a stellar machine offering an otherworldly driving experience. Instead, as we feared, it's a Volt coupe with a fancy interior for more than twice the sticker price.